Hi! I'm still alive everyone don't worry and I haven't forgotten about this story. How long has it been? Well I think we can all agree that it has definitely been too long. Sorry!
Let's see if I remember the drill. Ahem. Thank you to everyone who followed and favourited and to Patriota1993, buterflypuss, Alley McNally, thor94, LuminousMoonRay, PredatorPuck, bureuk, Onepiecelover4ever and animecutylover for leaving reviews!
Again, sorry for the late update and thanks for being patient.
Without further ado, here's chapter 29 of Naruto's New Life!
Naruto followed Yagura as he led them through the village.
"Sensei, where are we going?" Naruto asked, "You said we would work on training me to work with Kurama but we've been walking for a while now."
Yagura looked at Naruto and smiled, "Don't worry we're almost there."
Naruto rolled his eyes, "Where's 'there'?"
"Here," Yagura said while stopping. They stood at the edge of a large clearing.
Naruto's breath caught in his throat, he had never seen this place before.
"Where are we?" he asked in a whisper.
"This is where most of the jinchuuriki in the mist village are trained and, well, created," Yagura replied
"Created?" Naruto repeated.
Yagura nodded, "Yep, in fact, this is where I became a jinchuuriki all those years ago," he paused, "And... where I received this," he pointed to the scar running down his face.
Naruto gasped, "Really? What happened?"
Yagura waved his hand in a dismissive manner, "It doesn't matter," he said and began walking into the clearing. "That was a long time ago."
Naruto quickly followed close behind, "No way, I want to know," he argued.
"Right now we need to focus on your training, not on me," Yagura countered and continued walking.
Naruto pouted, "That's not fair," he huffed causing Yagura to laugh.
"Don't sulk," Yagura said, patting Naruto's head.
Once they reached the middle of the clearing, Yagura sat down and folded his legs under him, Naruto copied him.
"Sensei," Naruto began, "I..." he trailed off, then his raised his head, determination clear in his eyes, "I want to know!"
Yagura was taken aback, "Know what?"
"What happened here, what happened to you," Naruto said, "Please?"
Yagura rubbed the back of his neck, "You won't be able to focus if I don't tell you, right?"
Naruto nodded vigorously.
"So I might as well tell you so that we can get onto the training, right?" Yagura continued.
Another nod from Naruto.
Yagura sighed, "Fine," he said, "I guess there's no point in wasting time."
Naruto sat up straight, signalling that he was ready.
"Well..." Yagura began.
The Sandaime Mizukage sat at the head of the council, worry clearly evident in his eyes.
"What should we do, Mizukage-sama?" One of the council members asked, "At this rate the Sanbi will be without a host."
The Mizukage laced his fingers together, his eyes narrowing, "I am aware of that," he said, "but all our attempts to transfer the bijuu into a new jinchuuriki have ended in failure."
"Those children were weak, that is why they could not survive."
The Mizukage looked at the speaking council member and nodded, "Indeed, but I do not wish for the death of anymore failed jinchuuriki's. So, does anyone have any suggestions?"
One of the council members stood, drawing the attention of everyone present.
"There is one child who I believe will be strong enough to endure the process and survive..."
The Mizukage nodded slowly, "And this child is?"
The council member visibly swallowed, "Your son, Mizukage-sama."
lll
Yagura sat at his desk trying not to yawn.
'I already know all of this,' he thought as he put his head on his desk.
"Yagura!" Came the voice of the teacher, causing Yagura to sit up straight.
"Yes, Kyoya-sensei?" he asked, "What's the problem?"
Kyoya frowned, "I'm looking at one," he said.
"Ouch," Yagura said, holding his hand over his heart, "That hurt me, sensei." He smiled as his classmates began to giggle.
Kyoya's frown deepened, "Quiet class!" he shouted. "Now, Yagura, if you know so much about the henge that you don't even need to listen to the lecture, how about you give us all a little demonstration?"
The class began to mumble amongst themselves causing the teacher to tell them to be quiet again.
Yagura shrugged, "I can do a henge," he said, standing and walking to the front of the class.
"Off you go," Kyoya said.
"Yeah okay," Yagura said.
Performing the appropriate hand signs, he promptly changed into the splitting image of Kyoya-sensei.
Kyoya gaped, "How did you-"
Yagura, now looking like Kyoya, smirked. Turning to the class, he began to speak, "Now class," he said in a voice identical to their teacher's, "I hope this shows you all-"
Suddenly, a ninja burst into the room, eyes locking onto the transformed Yagura, he began to speak, "Kyoya-san, is Yagura here?" he asked.
The transformed Yagura fought off the urge to begin laughing and instead said, "Can you see him here?"
The ninja began scanning the classroom but was interrupted when the real Kyoya pushed Yagura towards the door.
"Don't listen to this boy," Kyoya said, "he just transformed to look like me, this is actually Yagura."
Yagura dropped the henge and began laughing, "You should have seen your face, you actually thought I was Kyoya-sensei!"
The ninja blinked as Yagura no stood in front of him and then looked Kyoya who shrugged, "He's like this all the time."
The ninja nodded and grabbed Yagura's hand, "We need to go now," he said, pulling Yagura out of the room.
Yagura frowned, he didn't like to be pushed around, "Where are we going?" he asked.
"Your presence has been requested by the Mizukage," the ninja responded.
Yagura swallowed, "My father?" he said quietly.
Whenever his father 'requested his presence' it was never for a good thing.
"Do you know why?" Yagura asked.
The ninja paused, "I am not allowed to disclose that information to you."
Yagura sighed, "Of course not."
lll
Arriving at the council room, Yagura was pushed inside by his escort who quickly whispered, "They're waiting for you."
Once inside, Yagura swallowed as all eyes fall on him including his father's.
"Yagura," his father greeted.
"Fath- I mean, Mizukage-sama," Yagura returned the greeting and bowed deeply.
His father beckoned for him to walk forward, "We need you to fulfil a very important duty."
"Why do you need me?" Yagura asked, walking forward so that he stood beside his father.
The Mizukage gave him a quick glance before turning to the council, "Most of the council members believe that you and only you can do this."
Yagura nodded slowly as murmurs rose from the council, "I'll do it then."
His father stood and turned to him. Yagura saw emotions flickering in his eyes though he could not identify them.
"Summon Shiro," the Mizukage ordered, looking down at Yagura he said, "Follow me."
Yagura looked around in confusion as they approached an area which he had never been before.
The Mizukage pushed him forward until he stood in the middle of a large clearing which had indents in the landscape that definitely did not seem natural.
"What are we doing here?" Yagura asked looking at his father. However, his father was looking elsewhere.
"Where is Shiro!" he shouted angrily.
"He is coming now, Misukage-sama," one of the ninja's replied pointing to the edge of the clearing where a lone figure was walking.
The Mizukage clicked his tongue in frustration, "He could do a shunshin," he hissed.
Yagura observed the approaching figure and as he got closer he recognized him. It was the jinchuuriki for the Sanbi. Although he did not appear to be old, his hair was pure white and he walked with the slow grace that only came with experience.
"You summoned me, Mizukage," Shiro said as he finally reached Yagura and his father.
The Mizukage frowned, "You took too long Shiro," he said, narrowing his eyes.
Shiro shrugged, "I didn't feel like doing a shunshin so I walked."
This caused Yagura to gasp. Nobody acted this disrespectfully towards his father without getting punished; however, the Mizukage appeared unaffected.
Yagura's gasp brought Shiro's attention to him. Shiro stared at him with piercing blue eyes before he suddenly laughed.
"What's so funny?" the Mizukage asked.
Shiro wiped tears from his eyes, "Well it's not as funny as it is ironic, I mean, your own son? Really? Is that the extent that you're willing to go to just so you get a jinchuuriki?"
"You're dying," the Mizukage stated bluntly.
"I know that," Shiro said, "but he could die right now if you go through with this."
The Mizukage nodded, "I know," he said and began to walk away.
Yagura turned to face the retreating figure of his father, "Die? What does he mean by that? Mizuka-" he broke off before shouting, "Father!"
The Mizukage paused but did not turn around, "Shiro will explain everything," he said and continued to walk away.
Yagura turned to face Shiro, "What do you mean by die?" he whispered, "What's going to happened to me?"
Shiro frowned, "You're smarter and stronger than most Yagura, which is why you were chosen."
"Chosen?" Yagura repeated, "Chosen for what exactly?" he shouted.
"To be the next jinchuuriki for the Sanbi," Shiro said.
"Jinchuuriki?" Yagura repeated in shock, "Me?"
Shiro nodded, "That's what has been decided."
Yagura turned quickly, searching frantically for his father. This must be a mistake, it must be! However, the clearing was completely empty except for Yagura and Shiro with a few ninjas scattered around the edge and his father possibly somewhere there too.
Yagura turned slowly back to Shiro, "I thought they had already picked a new jinchuuriki ages ago," he mumbled.
"They died," Shiro said plainly, "They couldn't take it and died." He paused and then said, "I'm slowly dying too so the council is becoming frantic because they need someone to be the host and I guess you are their last chance."
Yagura sighed, "So I might die today and it's all because of a decision my own father made." He walked closer to Shiro, "What do I need to do?" he asked.
Shiro blinked, "You don't have to do anything just stand still, I can take it from there. This clearing is designed for this so we don't need to draw any seals or anything," he explained.
Yagura nodded, "I see."
"Are you ready?" Shiro asked.
Yagura paused and looked down, "If I died right now, would he even care?"
Shiro hesitated, "Your father?" he asked.
Drops began falling at Yagura's feet, "I tried so hard to make him proud of me but I really think he just doesn't care."
Shiro bit his lip but kept his voice steady, "Yagura, he's the Mizukage, he can't be-"
"I know!" Yagura shouted, "I know," he repeated more quietly, looking up at Shiro with tears in his eyes, "It's just, I don't think he has ever called me son, or praised me or anything like that." He took a deep breath to calm himself, "I thought that I just wasn't trying hard enough so I tried harder and harder until I became top of the class and what happens?" Yagura felt his lips quiver and his voice shook as he said, "He sends me out to be a jinchuuriki and possibly to my death!"
"Yagura..." Shiro whispered. 'This boy, he had gone through so much,' he thought sadly.
"But you know what?" Yagura said, "I'm done, I'm really done, if I die maybe he will cry or maybe he will feel regret so..." he cleared his throat and wiped any tears still rolling down his face, "I'm ready."
Shiro opened his mouth but no words came out. What words could he offer to comfort this boy?
"Well I guess we can begin," he said instead. "Brace yourself, this is going to hurt."
Yagura nodded and clenched his fists as Shiro began to do some hand signs.
Shiro stopped and pushed his hand onto Yagura's stomach and it began.
Yagura screamed out in agony as the pain began and slowly increased until it felt like his body was about to explode. His sight began to fade and he felt his knees touch the ground.
'How long has this been going on for?' he thought, 'It feels like an eternity.'
Suddenly, the pain disappeared and he felt is cheek touching the cold ground.
'I must've collapsed,' Yagura thought, 'I still can't see a thing.'
However, he could still hear and currently he heard the footsteps of people coming closer.
The footsteps ceased and all was quiet while darkness still covered his vision. 'Am I dying?' Yagura thought.
Voices began to speak around him, loud and clear making him think that maybe he will survive.
"Was it successful?" A man Yagura didn't recognise the voice of asked.
"Yes, the Sanbi is now in Yagura," was Shiro's reply although his voice sounded rough and strained now.
"Is he going to survive?"
Yagura held his breath for a moment as he heard his father's voice.
Shiro replied, "I don't know, we need to wait and see." A pause then, "One thing's for sure, he's not getting up for a while, that has really put immense strain on his body so he's most likely passed out now."
"But his eyes are open," came the unknown man's voice.
Yagura heard Shiro click his tongue then say, "I said it put immense strain on his body, it's possible that he passed out too quickly to react."
"Are you even sure he's alive?" came the unknown man's clipped reply.
Yagura felt a head press on his chest as Shiro's voice came again but closer now, "He's still breathing and his heart is beating although a little irregularly."
"Will the Sanbi take over?" The Mizukage asked.
The weight on his chest lifted and Shiro said, "He might."
"If he does we must eliminate him," the unknown man said causing Yagura to freeze. Would his father say anything?
"Yes we will," said Yagura's father, filling Yagura with dread.
'No,' Yagura thought, 'I am not going to be killed by these people.'
He tried to move his limbs but couldn't. He felt like there was something extremely heavy was weighing him down not allowing him to move.
'No,' Yagura thought, 'Move! You're my body so just move!'
"Boy, what are you doing?" A deep voice asked, causing Yagura to stop.
'I-I need to stand,' Yagura thought in reply.
"Why?" The voice asked.
'Because I need to!' Yagura thought angrily, giving all his will power to force his limbs to move but to avail.
"You have just become a jinchuuriki do not be foolish," the voice growled.
'I don't care!' Yagura thought irately, 'I need to, I must! Otherwise he will think I'm weak, I need to show him that I'm strong.'
The voice did not reply so Yagura continued to try and stand. He could still hear the voices of his father, Shiro, and the unknown man speaking so he knew they were still close by.
"Alright boy-"
'I'm not a boy,' Yagura interrupted, 'I'm Yagura.'
"...Yagura, huh? What a foolish boy, giving your name to a bijuu."
'A bijuu?' Yagura repeated in confusion.
"I will help you Yagura, because you seem... interesting."
'What do you mean- woah!'
After struggling to stand, Yagura's legs suddenly pushed him upright and then stood seemingly on their own accord and his eyesight slowly cleared up showing him Shiro, his father and a council member standing in front of him, their face's full of shock and the council member's full of fear.
They were suddenly surrounded by ninja with their weapons raised.
"A-attack!" The council member shouted pointing to Yagura.
Yagura tried to speak but was cut off when a kunai cut the left side of his face down his eye causing him to scream out in pain as the blood began rushing down his face.
He fell onto his knees and grabbed his face as tears stung his eyes, but he refused to cry in front of these people.
"What is wrong with you? You've probably made him blind!" Shiro shouted and quickly rushed to kneel in front of Yagura. "Yagura is that you?" he asked, concern showing in his eyes.
Yagura's vision was now limited to one eye which he used to stare at Shiro, "Yes it's me, who else would it be?"
Shiro took in a shuttering breath and gave Yagura a tight hug, "You- you're amazing Yagura," he said then looked at Yagura's face in concern, "But you're hurt badly," he turned to the surrounding ninja, a scowl on his face, "Bring a medical ninja quickly," he yelled, "The Sanbi won't heal him properly yet and we need to save his eye!"
"Shiro-san?" Yagura asked quietly, "I'm still alive, right?"
Shiro looked at Yagura and nodded, a smile adorning his features, "Yes, you are."
Yagura looked around at the surrounding people as a medical ninja quickly ran forward and took Yagura's bloodied hand off his eye and began to inspect it.
Yagura spotted his father at the edge of the group of ninja but as soon as their eyes met, he began walking away.
Yagura blinked, where was he going?
He could feel the medical ninja began healing his wound giving him some relief from pain he was feeling but it was not helping with the pain he was feeling in his chest. His own father was leaving him, bleeding, in the middle of some clearing with ninja who were just about ready to kill him a minute ago.
Yagura felt tears roll down his cheeks. The worse part of this all was that he was certain that he saw the ninja who had thrown the kunai that might blind him.
Yagura swallowed. It was his father.
'He really doesn't care,' Yagura thought, wiping his tears and ignoring the medical ninja's reprimands for causing his eye to bleed even more.
Yagura looked up at his father's retreating figure with his one eye narrowed, 'Well if he doesn't care, why should I?'
Yagura looked up at Naruto who appeared very solemn now; his eyes narrowed, his mouth in a straight, thin, line.
"And that's about it," Yagura announced, breaking Naruto out of his trance.
Naruto's eyes widened, "What? That can't be it-"
"Well it is," Yagura interrupted, waving his hand dismissively, "I don't have anything else to say that is of any interest to you."
Naruto frowned and pouted his lips, "Stingy..." he muttered.
Yagura raised an eyebrow, "You have something to say, do you?"
Naruto looked away, "You didn't finish your story properly," he mumbled.
"Properly?" Yagura repeated, "How else am I supposed to finish it?"
Naruto quickly glanced back at Yagura, "Well if that's all that happened how did you become so nice?" he questioned, "If I didn't know you personally, I would think that you have turned out exactly like the previous Mizukage."
Yagura scratched his head, "Like my father, huh?" he said quietly. Then he grinned and stood up so that he was towering above Naruto, "Who's to say I'm not like him?"
Naruto rolled his eyes, "I did say that if I didn't know you I would think that," he retorted, "I know you're too nice to do anything like that."
Yagura grin dropped off his face and he stood there, staring at his apprentice for a moment before laughing. "You've gotten quite confident lately, haven't you?"
"What are you- ah stop it, stop it!" Naruto shouted as Yagura ruffled his hair roughly.
Yagura sat down still laughing and Naruto glared at him. Yagura stopped laughing and cleared his throat, "Well I guess I'm like this mostly because of Shiro. He taught me quite a lot before he passed away and I think my personality and ideals are also influenced by him."
Naruto hummed, "So he was like the person who saved me."
"How so?" Yagura asked.
"Well, if he hadn't changed you, maybe you wouldn't have saved me that night," Naruto explained, his eyes not meeting Yagura's.
Yagura sighed, "I don't know about that Naruto but there's no need to cry about it."
Naruto's eyes flicked to Yagura, tears rolling down his cheek, "Eh?" he reached a hand up and touched a falling tear, "That's weird," Naruto said quietly, "I don't even feel that sad."
Yagura stood up and reached out a hand to Naruto who took it and rose to his feet.
Smiling, Yagura wiped a tear from Naruto's face, "You shouldn't worry about what could have been, you should cherish what actually happened and what will happen from now on."
Naruto swatted away Yagura's hand before pausing. He looked up at Yagura and nodded, "Yeah I guess you're right."
Yagura nodded as well before he began to walk away, "You better wipe your face before we enter the village again, don't want Kuroya knowing that you've been crying, he'll make fun of you."
"Ah, right!" Naruto quickly wiped his face and ran to Yagura's side, "I thought we were going to train."
Yagura rubbed his face, "I don't think either of us feel like training anymore, for some reason, I'm exhausted. By the way," Yagura dropped his hand on Naruto's head, "what's gotten into you lately, wanting to hear me talk rather than train, are you really Naruto?"
Naruto shook his head to get rid of Yagura's hand, "What about you, sensei," he countered, "You sounded wise back there, are you really Yagura?"
Yagura tilted his head, "I sounded wise did I?"
"As wise as you can sound, after all," Naruto began running forward, "You are Yagura-sensei!" he called out.
"Oi!" Yagura shouted, "What's that supposed to mean!"
All he got in reply was Naruto loud laughter.
*Cue Ending Theme*
Another flashback chapter what?! Yes, yes I had this idea for a long time and just had to write it (type it?). Yagura's character was never really explored in the anime or manga but I find him to be really interesting since he's a jinchuuriki and a kage and this is my take on his past. Hope you liked it!
Please follow, favourite and leave a review!
Hopefully the next chapter will be up sooner and I'll see you then!
